1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to sight systems for guns, and more particularly to and advanced modular sight which utilizes a novel back plate receptacle that replaces the original equipment manufacturers' back plate and has design features which accept interchangeable sight devices enhancing optics and sight-to-target efficiencies.
2. Description of Related Art
As is well appreciated in the art of weaponry and particularly rifles and hand guns, there have been numerous attempts to develop more efficient, accurate and user friendly sight systems. However, many may involve mechanisms, hardware, and/or components which may be obtrusive, awkward in operation or use, or which interfere with the natural handling or sighting of the gun. Furthermore, the gun industry has largely overlooked the problems, functionality, and modular sight system addressed and developed by Applicants, and most particularly modular and interchangeable sight devices and the novel “runway” system described hereinafter.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,373, entitled Gun Sight and issued to Matthews, et al., discloses an apparatus adapted to be mounted about the rear end of the gun, and positioned to occlude one eye of the user and generate an illuminated dot, which is centered on the longitudinal axis of the barrel of the gun. Both refractive and reflective methods can be utilized to produce a beam of light that creates the image of an illuminated dot, and the user adjusts the position of the gun relative to the target until it is perceived that the dot of the sight is positioned on the target.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,611, entitled Rear Gun Sight and issued to Ruffino, illustrates an elongated sight body having elongated front legs with a forward sight body recoil shoulder, a sliding sight blade which permits windage adjustment, and a method for pivotally attaching the sight body to the gun frame to permit elevation adjustment. Interacting components are meant to bear and reduce the impact of a gun's recoil.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,744, entitled Adjustable Rear Sight for Handguns and issued to McClenahan, teaches an adjustable rear sight pivotably mounted within a slot opening to the rear of the gun frame itself. The pivot access includes a spring biased against the side of the base and a second pin threaded to the gun frame such that the second pin controls the lateral position of the gun sight for windage adjustment. A vertically positioned screw engages the bottom of the slot such that movement of this screw will control elevation adjustment.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,187,436, entitled Contrasting Color Gun Sight and issued to Friedrichsmeier, describes a gun sight system in which a front sight includes two vertically aligned longitudinal passageways with the upper passageway including a colored insert at its forward end, and a rear sight including a longitudinal passageway having a color insert, the rear sight being aligned with the front sight enabling the user the gun to position the rear insert “in line” with the lower passageway of the front sight so that the inserts of both the front and rear sights appear in vertical alignment thereby ensuring the absence of any undesirable tilting or canting of the weapon.
However, the representative art and conventional gun sights do not relate to the enhanced modular runway sight system with interchangeable components, all providing for superior speed and accuracy in handling guns, and precision visual-motor coordination skills.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a more accurate, efficient and user friendly sight system for guns, one that allows for use of different sight components, and increases gun alignment, speed in target acquisition, and improved optical aiming functions. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed. However, in view of the sight systems in existence at the time of the present invention, it was not obvious to those persons of ordinary skill in the pertinent art as to how the identified needs could be fulfilled in an advantageous manner.